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Achieving greater appreciation, especially among young people
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Lantra helps to develop career structures
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Maintaining and developing Apprenticeship Frameworks
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Lantra identifies training needs and works to deliver solutions
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Recognising people’s skills through awards and competition
Achieving greater appreciation, especially among young people
Environmental issues are having an increasing impact on everyone’s life and to UK businesses. With 85% of the country’s land under the control of the environmental and land-based industries, never has it been more important to create a greater understanding of our industries and address public ignorance on how food arrives on our tables.
The Diploma in Environmental and Land-based Studies
The Diploma in Environmental and Land-based Studies is part of a range of new qualifications aimed at England’s young people aged 14-19 years. It becomes available in some schools and colleges from September 2009.
Developed by Lantra in collaboration with employers, the Diploma reflects the modern needs of business. The courses aim to equip young people with the practical skills, knowledge and understanding relevant to a career in the environmental and land-based sector, and a choice of routes afterwards – apprenticeships, further or higher education, or directly into work.
Learning about the environmental and land-based industries is achieved through applied work-related learning, and essential skills in English, maths and ICT are incorporated. Available at four different levels the diplomas may be studied alongside other GCSEs or A Levels. To learn more about this new qualification, visit www.diplomaelbs.co.uk
Lantra helps to develop career structures
Having a recognised career structure is important in motivating people and generating a sense of achievement. It also helps employers advertise and set pay levels which reflect the skills they desire in a potential employee and reward their staff as they become an increasing asset to the business.
Equine grooms were an established livelihood without a defined career structure, until one was developed by Lantra in association with the British Grooms Association. One year on, it is increasingly improving the careers of equine grooms.
The EquineSkillsCV (ESCV) has established four recognised levels of skill: Foundation, Intermediate, Advanced and Elite. Each demonstrates a progressive level of achievement and experience in the job. It provides grooms with a document detailing their endorsed abilities and experience.
The foundation level is aimed at rookie grooms, carrying out yard duties under the direction of another; while elite grooms would have responsibility for an entire yard, horses and people.
Maintaining and developing Apprenticeship Frameworks
Apprenticeships are a route by which people can begin a career in the land-based sector, learn practical skills and achieve nationally recognised qualifications.
Lantra develops a number of apprenticeship frameworks which provide a structured programme of learning to ensure that apprentices develop the skills and knowledge required for their chosen career.
The farriery apprenticeship is four years and two months, starting with eight weeks when either side can walk away without any obligation. It’s a tripartheid arrangement between the apprentice, their Approved Training Farrier (ATF) and the Farriery Training Agency. It requires a NVQ2 in farriery, a diploma from the Worshipful Company of Farriers and four years two months’ experience.
According to Steve Hewitt , Approved Training Farrier, “The good thing is that in this profession, once you’re qualified, the world is literally your oyster, because this is the only country where you can qualify then shoe anywhere in the world.”
Lantra identifies training needs and works to deliver solutions
Lantra worked with the Welsh Assembly Government to develop a pilot project which is driving forward the skills competencies of those working within fencing companies in Wales.
It is now possible to bring Fencing Industry Skills Scheme/Construction Skills Certification Scheme (FISS/CSCS) card registrations up-to-date via the scheme, at lower cost and ensure businesses meet the installer competencies requested when tendering for contracts.
Eight in-house assessors have been developed through the scheme, along with three regional assessors and three internal verifiers. This ensures Welsh fencing companies are now well resourced within Wales which was previously lacking.
This pilot scheme has been very well received, with 83 FISS/CSCS card registrations so far. Companies whose installers’ cards are up-to-date enjoy maximum flexibility when it comes to resource allocation, as they aren’t restricted on who they can send to sites where compliance is enforced.
NVQs in fencing provide evidence of skills achievement in addition to the cards and were the chosen route for our case study company Proline Fencing & Landscapes (estd 1993).
Recognising people’s skills through awards and competition
The UK Skills floristry final competition is organised by UK Skills with the support of its floristry committee and Lantra. The winner is put forward to compete for the chance to represent the UK at the WorldSkills event.
Lantra is delighted to be associated with a number of skills recognition events. In Scotland and Wales we hold special award ceremonies, with a variety of titles for different age groups and industries. Lantra has also teamed up with the South East of England Development Agency to create the Leading Edge floristry programme. Its aim is to help floristry employers develop management skills in the workplace and enhance the development of technical skills within the business.
Lantra works with industry and training providers to develop qualifications
With the backing of major manufacturers of agricultural, horticultural,forestry and ground care equipment, a Land-based Technician Accreditation scheme (LTA) has been established. It gives credit and recognition to the developing skills and knowledge of technicians working in the land-based sector.
All training is accredited by the relevant manufacturers in conjunction with the employers to guidelines agreed jointly with them, Lantra and the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE). The scheme also provides a clearly defined career path for those working in the land-based engineering sector. The LTA scheme is backed by the trade associations representing manufacturers and dealers.
The objective of the scheme is to provide a nationwide means of benchmarking, monitoring and assessing the competence of technicians employed within the sector. The LTA scheme will also provide encouragement and recognition for both employers and technicians who voluntarily commit to continual professional development in pursuit of technical support excellence.
Succession planning – an important consideration
‘Developing the next generation of business leaders’ was the title of a successful pilot project run by Lantra in collaboration with National Farmers’ Union Scotland and the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs.
The Millar family participated in the project by taking part in a series of practical business planning workshops provided by the Scottish Agriculture College and New Edge Management, plus the undertaking of a land business review.
Caroline and Ross Millar farm 650 acres with Ross’ parents, and have young children themselves. Their main enterprise is livestock and arable farming, although they have recently converted an old derelict bothy into a luxury romantic retreat holiday home. ‘The Hideaway’ brings in useful extra income and presents excellent growth potential for the family. The project helped them to produce training and development plans aimed at supporting a sustainable and competitive future for their businesses.
The feedback and outcomes from the pilot will be shared with the Scottish Government which is looking at ways to support new entrants and succession planning in agriculture.
The Sector Skills Agreement - enhancing animal and human welfare through skills
In Spring 2008, Lantra launched the Animal Care Sector Skills Agreement following extensive research and work with industry. The agreement demonstrates a commitment from industry to improve the provision and funding of skills development for all of its businesses and employees.
One of Lantra’s commitments as part of this agreement is to promote awareness of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the “Duty of care” responsibility of every animal owner and carer.
So this is an opportunity too good to waste!
“Duty of care” is a legal phrase which means that someone has an obligation to do something. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 states that people’s duty of care to animals must be to provide:
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A suitable environment (how it is housed)
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A suitable diet (what it eats and drinks)
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The ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
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Any need it has to be housed with, or apart from, other animals
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Protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
Lantra provides career information to people of all ages
Lantra estimates that in the next 10 years, the environmental and land-based sector will need an additional 215,000 mainly skilled and management level workers. Don’t you want to be a part of making our nation great?
To help potential entrants navigate an abundance of materials relating to careers, Lantra is redeveloping its careers website www.afuturein.com. The newly designed site will include areas for young people, career changers and career advisors.
Market research commissioned by Lantra found out young people’s perceptions of the industries and what information they look for. As a result of this exercise Lantra is working with the main trade organisations for each of the industries and sub-industries to get an accurate picture and summary of the careers in their industry. The website will also include careers ladders demonstrating the job profiles and progression routes for each industry.
The new www.afuturein.com website is to be unveiled later in the year. For careers enquiries please also call Lantra Connect: 0845 707 8007 or email: connect@lantra.co.uk
Lantra helps industries meet legislative requirements
Lantra has 15 industry groups, which represent the 17 industries in the sector. Industry groups are vitally important to employers, employees and volunteers in the sector as they ensure that training and skills needs are met by the training available to them.
In the game and wildlife industry a new training need arose when the Food Standards Agency (FSA) introduced food hygiene regulations covering the handling of game.
Lantra Industry Group Chairman for Game and Wildlife, Robert Cottam MBE, said: “Previously game could be shot and sold, but as of January 2007 a certificate became needed to prove one’s competence to handle game and ability to recognise tainted meat. We had only six months’ notice, so there was a terrific training need and pressure to get 15,000 people trained fast. Lantra helped us decide what training was required to satisfy the FSA and develop it.”
Lantra helped the industry meet new legislation again when The Animal Transport Act required a new certificate for transporting game.
Lantra helping to ensure parks and leisure spaces can be enjoyed by the nation
Lantra is working with GreenSpace to develop GreenSKILL, an online competence framework for the organisation. It will allow the recording, monitoring and development of skills for the professionals working for them, in accordance with the industry’s National Occupational Standards, developed and maintained by Lantra.
GreenSKILL will assist the development of training plans, skills ‘gap analysis’, skills endorsement and improved workforce planning. “GreenSpace is happy to be working closely with Lantra on a project that will not only benefit those working in the sector, but ultimately those that use parks and green space.” says Paul Bramhill, Chief Executive of GreenSpace.
GreenSpace is a registered charity working to improve parks and green spaces by raising awareness, involving communities and creating skilled professionals. Its vision is a network of easily accessible, safe, attractive and welcoming parks and green spaces which meet the needs of everyone, and which contribute to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of people and places throughout the UK.
Lantra works with industry to raise its profile and skills-base
Lantra’s work is steered by the Sector Skills Agreement action plans which are formed in discussion with industry, training providers and other key stakeholders. Some of the key outputs for the aquaculture industry from this plan have been:
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Detailed labour market intelligence with the salmon sector, which reflects the training and skill needs of the industry. The research was carried out with approximately 85% of the sector’s businesses.
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Working with the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation and developing the Aquaculture Landbased Learner of the Year Award.
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Working with secondary schools throughout the Highlands to help develop a robust rural skills programme. Some 80% of the secondary schools in the area are now engaged in the programme, which includes aquaculture skills.
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Carrying out job profiling to identify the different roles in the industry. This enables us to now work on the development of an online
competence framework for the salmon sector.
Lantra is working to recognise the value of volunteers
Lantra recognises the enormous contribution that volunteers make to the environmental and land-based sector. The impact of this support can be measured in economic terms and meeting biodiversity targets, in addition the impact on social inclusion and community cohesion is increasingly being recognised.
European Social Fund support is helping Lantra to establish the number of volunteers who are active across the sector to determine which industries they support, to establish current skills levels, and to identify areas in which we can help to support skills development and training for volunteers in the future. A report based on the information collected is available on the Lantra website.
Good business skills aid success in a world with ever-changing demands
Different crops require different temperature, soil, nutrient, water and climate conditions and therefore geography has played a significant factor in location and spread. As a result regional specialists have developed.
Despite technological advances in crop science, mechanisation and other areas, production horticulture businesses generally have a higher average number of people employed than other land-based businesses, as much of the production remains labour intensive. Many operations also require significant amounts of seasonal labour for picking, grading and packing. As local labour can be hard to find, there has been a significant growth in the use of migrant workers in the industry. This has consequences for business in terms of language barriers, health and safety, competence, housing and the impact on local communities. However,
if horticultural production is to continue in the UK and customers want to reduce their carbon foot print and eat UK-produced food, the use of migrants will continue to be essential.
The production horticulture industry comprises different types of business, but they are often small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) many of which are family-run.
Managing funding projects for the environmental and land-based sector
Paul and Annie Clayton, our case study, benefited from the successful six-year South Yorkshire Rural Skills project managed by Lantra. The project exceeded its targets and supported the training of 542 businesses in the region.
Lantra is currently involved with a number of Rural Development Programmes for England aiming to develop business skills, improve competitiveness, efficiency and profitability of businesses from the agriculture, horticulture and forestry businesses.
- With industry Lantra is managing a £3 million LandSkills project in Yorkshire over the next 3 years.
- In the South East, Lantra will be working with 24 training providers in the Rural Business Advice Network (RBAT) over the next 3 years to deliver a training programme worth £2.1 million.
- In the North East of England, a 2-year programme similar to Yorkshire’s ‘LandSkills’ will provide more than 3,500 training days to a value of £1.5 million.
- The Women and Work: Sector Pathways Initiative that has already supported training to benefit over 1,000 women across England, is set to continue thanks to new funding for 2008/9.
Lantra develop and maintain industries’ National Occupational Standards
National Occupational Standards (NOS) describe the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to do a particular task or job. In other words, they define what you must be able to do and what you must know and understand in order to carry out a job role competently.
These are used to draft job profiles, which Lantra makes available for consultation. They relate to the whole job – from health and safety, to customer care, as well as the technical skills. The results of the consultations contribute towards the development of training, qualifications and careers literature for the profession, thereby ensuring the work that Lantra does meets everyone’s needs.
